Women's Basketball Downs Plymouth State, 73-56

NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA- The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's women's basketball team defeated visiting Plymouth State, 73-56, in a Little East Conference game at the Tripp Athletic Center Saturday.

The Corsairs, who never trailed in the contest, used a 18-4 run to open the second half to turn a five point halftime lead into a 55-36 advantage with 12:17 to play. It was a total team effort as sophomore forward Erika Bornemann(Canton, MA/Canton HS) scored four points, freshman guard Kelsey Garrity(Somerville, MA/Somerville HS) had two points, freshman guard Melissa Daigle (Rockland, MA/Rockland HS) nailed a three-pointer, junior forwardColleen Moriarty (Canton, MA/Canton HS) added seven points and freshman guard Nicole Grassi (Plymouth, MA/Plymouth North HS) contributed a basket during the decisive run.

Garrity scored off the opening tip and closed the first half with a pair of free throws, staking UMass Dartmouth to a 37-32 halftime edge. The Corsairs led the entire game except for a brief 20-20 tie at 7:57 that was broken immediately by a three-pointer from the wing by senior guard Stephanie Houtman (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford HS-Bridgewater State).

"We wanted to take advantage of the post play and I think our three point defense and getting out on the perimeter was a big key," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Amanda Van Voorhis. "We played a good team game and Colleen was a driving force. We are off to one of our better starts and would like to finish the semester with a `W" against Johnson & Wales. We are gaining momentum and confidence and need to build on that."

The Corsairs held the Panthers to a stingy two of 16 from behind the arc and out-rebounded PSU, 52-49.

UMass Dartmouth had four players in double figures. Moriarty led the way with 23 points, Houtman added 13 points, Garrity finished with 10 points and Bornemann registered a double-double scoring 10 points and pulling down a game-high 18 rebounds. Plymouth State was led by a game-high 24 points from junior forward Colleen O'Hara (Otego, NY/Unatego Central).

The Corsairs improved to 6-3 and 1-1 in the Little East Conference with the victory, while the Panthers dropped to 2-7 and 0-2 in the LEC with the defeat. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they host Johnson & Wales Tuesday. Plymouth State will take time off for the holidays and visit Johnson & Wales January 5th.